"Kabuto, don't eat so fast, you'll choke if—"
Before Uchiha Shion could finish his sentence, Kabuto was already clutching at his own throat at Ichiraku Ramen, pounding on his chest with one hand.
Smack!
Shion gave him a firm slap on the back, and only then did Kabuto manage to swallow down the mouthful of noodles.
"Phew…"
Relieved, Kabuto turned to him gratefully. "Big brother treated me to ramen—it's rare, so I have to eat as much as I can."
Shion chuckled. "Don't worry, I brought enough money. Once we're done, we'll pack up twenty portions. You can take them back for your friends and the headmistress at the orphanage."
Kabuto's eyes widened in delight. "Really? That's great! The headmistress hasn't had a proper meal in ages. I overheard yesterday that… the orphanage's funding—"
Shion only smiled and looked toward the shop curtain as footsteps approached. "If I'm not mistaken, the funding issue for your orphanage should already be solved. Relax—you and your headmistress won't need to become spies."
The curtain lifted.
Kakashi Hatake stepped inside, forehead protector raised. His Sharingan spun with three tomoe, locked directly onto Shion.
"Don't be so tense, Kakashi," Shion said lightly. "Your Kamui won't be able to hold me. If you want to talk, I don't mind buying you a bowl of ramen."
"The Flying Thunder God Technique makes Konoha's barrier seem useless against you, Uchiha Shion. Facing someone like you… I can't afford even the slightest carelessness."
Kakashi's gaze shifted toward Kabuto, suspicion in his tone. "Someone with your power… being friends with a child?"
Shion laughed softly. "Aren't you still young yourself? Do you really want to say that? And this child's talent… it's no less than yours."
Whoosh!
A light sound—and the Fourth Hokage appeared at Kakashi's side, his white cloak with flame patterns fluttering.
Minato Namikaze placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder. "Lower your forehead protector. If my guess is right, the moment you activate Kamui, he'll vanish using the Flying Thunder God."
Kakashi frowned. "But not everyone using that jutsu has your speed, sensei."
Minato exhaled heavily, his eyes lingering on Shion. "That's what worries me most…"
Though the answer made little sense, Kakashi obediently lowered his protector, sealing away the Mangekyō.
"Teuchi, a large pork-bone broth ramen, please."
From the kitchen, Teuchi's voice rang back immediately. Only when he emerged with the bowl did he realize the Fourth Hokage was sitting there.
"Lord Fourth, aren't you busy today? This bowl's on the house."
He made a show of generosity, though his eyes flicked toward Shion—clearly not extending the same courtesy. After all, he'd just overheard talk of ordering twenty take-out portions. That was no small bill.
But Minato waved it off with a smile. "No need, Teuchi. Charge us like normal. Get back to work."
When Teuchi disappeared into the kitchen, Minato turned to Shion with a faint smile.
"So, we meet again."
Shion nodded, returning the smile. "Yes, Fourth Hokage. Thanks to the intel I shared last time, you're still alive to sit here. Seems you handled things well."
Minato probed carefully. "Was it that arm… that gave you the First Hokage's Wood Release?"
Shion raised his hand, holding a strip of chakra test paper between his fingers. Flames sparked, fragments shattered, the surface split apart, and moisture seeped through.
"All four chakra natures. The time was a bit short, though. Otherwise… you wouldn't have seen Danzō alive yesterday."
Minato's eyes narrowed at the paper on the table—fire, wind, earth, and water, all at once. He had already come this far?
After a moment's thought, Minato asked bluntly, "Why did you kill Danzō?"
His eyes flicked toward Kabuto. "Your objective… isn't just a talented child, is it?"
Shion smiled faintly. "You and Kakashi underestimate him. If things unfold as they are meant to, this child's power could one day sway the entire world."
Minato, for the first time, looked seriously at the boy beside them, who sat bewildered at the attention.
White hair. Glasses slightly too big for his face.
"Not Kakashi's relative," Shion clarified, noticing Minato's glance. "Just a civilian child. But in certain ways, his gifts are among the highest this world can offer."
Shion then turned back to Kabuto. "Soon, I'll be leaving this place. When I do, you'll have two choices."
Kabuto nodded dumbly, waiting.
"First: follow the Fourth Hokage. I'll recommend you to the Research and Medical Divisions. Second: return to the orphanage, and keep helping Headmistress Nono care for the children."
Kabuto fell silent. His mind drifted to what had happened yesterday—the bandaged man, the other with serpent-like pupils, Root… the headmistress.
"You understand now," Shion sighed. "I'd hoped you could live quietly in the orphanage, guarding that sanctuary. But you also know—without strength, everything you try to protect turns to dust."
"Follow the Fourth. Use your full potential. With the bond you hold to the orphanage, only by becoming someone Minato cannot afford to lose will the children truly be safe."
Kabuto raised his head slightly, smiling at Shion. "Mm. I believe you, big brother."
Shion paused, then ruffled his hair gently. "So your fate has shifted too. An orphan like you should never have been dragged into darkness for another's ambition."
"Cough, cough."
Beside them, Minato cleared his throat, looking confused. "Hold on—you two are deciding this without me? I am the Hokage here. Shouldn't I have a say?"
Kakashi leaned in and jabbed his teacher's arm. "Sensei… aren't they our enemies? Are you really okay with them slipping a spy into Konoha so openly?"
Minato sighed. There were things he couldn't tell this student.
Enemies? It didn't feel that way.
Shhhk!
A kunai flashed, slicing a shallow wound across Kabuto's arm. Blood welled up.
"Kabuto, show the Fourth the medical ninjutsu your headmistress taught you."
Kabuto, unresisting, understood Shion's intent. Green chakra spread across his hands. The cut stopped bleeding, knitting together at a visible pace.
"Precise chakra control," Minato observed. "He definitely has the aptitude for medical work."
"Medical ninjutsu is the least of his gifts," Shion said, shaking his head. He tapped his temple. "Talent and bloodlines differ. But wisdom—that's something else entirely. His true strength lies here."
"Not quite on par with the Second Hokage… but compared to you, who created the Rasengan without hand seals, I'd say the gap isn't too great."
For a moment, Minato's eyes lit up. Konoha had seen many geniuses, but most were only shinobi prodigies.
In research and medicine, only Orochimaru and Tsunade had stood out in years past—and neither were on his side.
"I accept," Minato said at last. Then, with a teasing smile: "But tell me, Shion—when you said 'not too great a gap,' did you mean he's a little behind me… or that I'm a little behind him?"
"You're a little behind him."
"…???"